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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
 
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Mary Barr -- I see that you are in the news and that you now list your office at the Beacon:
www.marybarr.com Link to article ================== Inmate advocates: No medical reason for birth at prison BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK The Times Tribune -- STAFF WRITER 07/28/2007 Advocates for prison inmates say they can?t imagine what might be in Shakira Staten?s medical records that would explain why she ended up giving birth in a Lackawanna County Prison cell. ?There?s nothing in the medical records that would explain that,? Nancy Goldstein, the director of communications for National Advocates for Pregnant Women. ?It?s not OK to give birth on the floor of a prison cell.? Ms. Staten, who gave birth early July 10, contends her pleas to go to a hospital were ignored for four hours. County officials have defended the actions of prison staff and stopped short of saying something was done wrong, although County Commissioner Robert C. Cordaro said Friday he was ?appalled? that the birth happened in the cell. County Commissioner A.J. Munchak, who also called the cell birth ?wrong,? has said Ms. Staten?s medical records hold the explanation for why it happened. County officials are withholding further comment until after a Prison Board internal review is complete. They are in the process of obtaining Ms. Staten?s medical records, after she agreed to their release on Wednesday. ?Why would they need that?? asked Catherine Wise, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Prison Society. Mary Barr, a prison inmate advocate in Jersey City, N.J., who was twice pregnant while in prison, said the birth didn?t surprise her because prisons are mostly focused on security rather than medical care. ?They assume you?re faking it, or you?re crazy,? Ms. Barr said. ?They have the same assumptions the public has sometimes. Or they could be busy, or they could just not care.? Mr. Cordaro disputed the notion that county officials don?t care. ?We?re extremely concerned. This is a child. This is a baby, this is a woman who?s pregnant, regardless of her circumstances,? he said. ?One of the things we wanted to make sure of when there was a prisoner beating, we said over and over at our meetings, ?This is somebody?s kid, this is somebody?s nephew, this is somebody?s friend. These are somebody?s parents.? ?They?re human beings, and we?ve never looked at it differently than that,? he said. Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com Quote:
Posted on: 2007/7/28 9:48
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Re: Hidden office discovered in old medical center -- Ornate room may have been where \'Boss\' Hague
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Just can't stay away
 
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Congrats, Billc. I'm looking forward to meeting you and Mary in about a month when I close. Thanks again for the update.
Posted on: 2007/7/25 22:38
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Re: Hidden office discovered in old medical center -- Ornate room may have been where 'Boss' Hague's
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Not too shy to talk
 
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I moved in to the Beacon last Thursday but another couple moved in on Friday. WE are expecting at least 50 others in the next two weeks based on elevator reservations. It is still very much a construction site but everyone has been very helpful. The management company staff took care of my movers when I had to close on the property and move in at the same time because my closing was delayed a day due to a paper work delay. The management staff laid heavy paper on the wood floors to protect them and helped me rearrange the furniture when the movers were gone. The next day they helped hang art work. A free day of maid service comes with the apartment, which I haven't used yet. The view of the Statute of Liberty is better than I expected considering that I bought the least expensive one bedroom available and it's only on the 7th floor. The construction of my apartment is solid. Even the interior walls are stuffed with insulation and some kind of sound deading fiberboard. The fixtures are from Kohler and the appliances are stainless steel Elite series from GE. The counter tops are Italian blue veined slate. I'm pretty pleased with the way it all looks. The main lobby is not finished yet so you have to enter the building by a side door but they are working on the lobby every day and I can see the progress. The indoor pool is still 2 to 3 weeks from completion but everything is showing progress daily. The shuttle bus ride to Exchange place and back is quick and easy. I'm treated like royalty and the staff jumps at my slightest need. Everyone stops what they are doing to make way for the "owner". It's a little embarrassing at times. Sometimes when I ask a question they think its a criticism and start apologizing. I'm hoping this will subside when more people move in and we are not such a novelty to have around.
Posted on: 2007/7/25 14:39
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Hidden office discovered in old medical center -- Ornate room may have been where 'Boss' Hague's
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Hidden office discovered in old medical center
Ornate room may have been where 'Boss' Hague did his deals Christopher Zinsli Reporter staff writer 07/22/2007 HAGUE?S OFFICE ? This office in the old Jersey City Medical Center is being turned into a poker room as part of a condominium project called The Beacon. Many believe it was once used by infamous Mayor Frank Hague. Photo by Christopher Zinsli. A sledgehammer smashed through a sheetrock wall, revealing a hidden office in the old Jersey City Medical Center. The now defunct hospital is being transformed into luxury condos, and many believe that an office unearthed there by developers in 2005 belonged to a legendary politician: former Mayor Frank Hague. From 1917 to 1947, "Boss" Hague is said to have ruled Jersey City with an iron fist. While he was never convicted of any crimes, he used his power over the police and fire departments to strengthen his base and build his patronage system in Jersey City. And the old Jersey City Medical Center complex at Montgomery and Baldwin avenues was originally intended to be a symbol of his power, as he dedicated nearly 25 years of his administration to its expansion. Hague put the medical center at the heart of his public-works agenda, and if city residents could not afford to pay for their treatment there, they were not charged. The building was closed in 2004 so it could be turned into a residential complex called The Beacon. A year later, construction crews began unearthing unused rooms and stairwells that had been blocked off. With mahogany walls, a terrazzo floor, and an ornate chandelier, the hidden office clearly served an important purpose before it was partitioned away years ago, only to be rediscovered in late 2005. Interestingly, historians have spoken of a hidden office in the medical center used by Hague. Since it was walled off sometime in the last 25 years, the office has become a source of rumor - as much fact as fiction. Ulana Zakalak, the historic consultant overseeing construction of the Beacon condonminiums, said she inferred the recently discovered office's provenance from its design. "[Hague] had particular tastes in furnishings. Every space he seemed to occupy was wood-paneled in a certain way," Zakalak said. "So as soon as I saw this office, I just knew this had to be it. It's a very elaborate office for a hospital. And we knew he had an office on the first floor. It has to be it." Charles Markey, who worked at the medical center in the 1970s, said that photos he has seen of the discovered office match his memories of a room where he sometimes used to conduct job interviews. At that time, the office was used by the Personnel Department, but Markey said it was "a well-known fact" that the office had once been Hague's. 'Secret' office, 'secret' stairwell As Jersey City's longest-serving mayor and an influential politician on the national level, Hague and his reign have become the stuff of local lore. For years, tales have been told of an office maintained by Hague at the medical center, where clandestine meetings took place with visitors arriving through a "hidden" doorway leading to a "secret" stairwell. Even reputable historical sources sometimes preface their descriptions of the office and stairway as if they're not sure whether it really existed, lending the room an aura of myth. So it's natural that certain parts of the story seem to have been embellished over time. There is, indeed, a back door there, but it may have just seemed hidden because it blends in with the wood-paneled walls. But other parts of the story seem to have been confirmed by discoveries made during the restoration. Across the hall from the Hague office, demolition crews discovered a small, walled-off space that once contained a stairwell. To access it, they had to break through a solid brick wall. It is not clear whether the hidden stairwell is the one spoken of in local legend, since many alterations were made to the medical center in the 60 years since Hague was mayor. Zakalak said many aspects of the building were changed over the years. "Rooms had been rearranged," she said, "corridors had been rearranged, staircases had been closed off. And as we started going through the buildings, we found interesting spaces. There are interesting spaces throughout the entire hospital complex." A second room near Hague's old office is being converted by the developers into a private reading lounge. Will become poker room The developer of the Beacon is the New York-based company Metrovest Equities. George Filopoulos, president of Metrovest, said he plans to turn the opulent office into a poker room for the exclusive use of residents of The Beacon. Filopoulos said he hopes the room will evoke thoughts of the Hague era, with images of political dealings negotiated in smoke-filled backrooms. "You think of Frank Hague and you think of those days, and you say, 'Hey... Let's make a poker room!' " Filopoulos said. "There'll be a bar and a private lavatory back there. We've got great high-backed leather chairs that we purchased, a big plasma TV. It's going to be a real club feel." The first residents of The Beacon are now moving in, Filopoulos said. A historic hospital In 1936, halfway through Hague's expansion of the medical center, President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of a new building amid a cheering crowd that was reported to be larger than 200,000. Hague declared a city holiday for the event. As grand as the medical center was - it was the third-largest hospital in the country at one point - it quickly became apparent that it was much too big for the city's needs. It is said that during the Hague years, the medical center cost $3 million per year to operate, even though it brought in less than $1,500 in payments. One by one, the complex's dozen buildings were closed, until in 2004 all operations were moved to a new facility on Grand Street. Christopher Zinsli can be reached at jcmag@hudsonreporter.com.
Posted on: 2007/7/22 13:08
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Beacon: Ready for first move-ins
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Beacon: Ready for first move-ins
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 The conversion of the old Jersey City Medical Center into a luxury residential building is to enter another stage next week as the building opens its door to its first homeowners. A spokesman for the developer of the Beacon - New York-based Metrovest - confirmed yesterday that the city issued a number of certificates of occupancy and a handful of people are slated to move into their new digs starting Monday. It was unclear exactly how many people are expected to move into their units next week. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the old Jersey City Medical Center is one of the state's largest examples of Art Deco architecture. Its conversion into the Beacon is one of the most highly anticipated projects in the city and market observers have hailed it as the measuring stick for sales outside the Downtown area. When completed in 2010, the complex will feature 1,200 condominium units, a public theater, a gourmet market, parks, shops, a dog run, a library and business center, screening rooms, a spa and a museum devoted to the Jersey City Medical Center. The Jersey City Medical Center was spearheaded by Mayor Frank Hague, who wanted to create a model for medical services to the poor. JARRETT RENSHAW
Posted on: 2007/7/10 15:38
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Re: The Beacon
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Not too shy to talk
Joined:
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It looks like the Beacon Complex will be getting a school:
From the New York Times: "Negotiations are under way with the 75-year-old Little Harbor Academy, a Roman Catholic-sponsored school, currently at a site on Marin Boulevard, that offers prekindergarten through eighth grade to children of any creed, said George Filopoulos, president of the Manhattan-based Metrovest Equities." Having a school on site will encourage families to consider the Beacon as an option to leaving town and moving to boring suburbia.
Posted on: 2007/4/5 18:28
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Beacon Penthouse goes for $2.3 mil; boom continues in JC, Hoboken
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By ANTOINETTE MARTIN, The NYTimes
Published: February 11, 2007 THERE is a wealth of high-end, high-rise condominium units coming on the market along the Jersey ?Gold Coast? ? and purchase prices are soaring to new heights. Last week, a two-story penthouse at the Beacon, the former Jersey City Medical Center complex that is being converted to condominiums, set a record for a high-rise apartment in Jersey City when a purchase contract was signed for $2.3 million. ?This is indeed a leap,? said Jacqueline Urgo, executive vice president of the Marketing Directors, which is handling sales. She said that her agency had overseen sales at Liberty Terrace, the last high-rise to break price barriers in Jersey City, and that the highest purchase price there had been $1.45 million. Most Liberty Terrace units were sold by September, though, said Ms. Urgo ? and she sees the market for expensive condos with riverfront views as having picked up significantly since then. At the 55-story Trump Plaza, now under construction in Jersey City, more than 200 contracts for condos have been signed since sales started in October. Asking prices for apartments there range from $400,000 to around $2.5 million for the penthouse, which has not yet been sold. The Beacon, a $350 million conversion of eight Art Deco structures set on a hill in Jersey City?s downtown, has until now been marketed as a lower-cost alternative to waterfront high-rises. Studio units on low floors of the first two Beacon buildings, which are to open this spring, sold for $325,000. A total of 265 units, out of 315 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom condos in the first two buildings, have sold, according to the developer, Metrovest Equities, based in Manhattan. Ultimately, Metrovest plans to create 1,200 condos and rental units at the Beacon complex. The penthouse that sold is now taking shape on the 20th and 21st floors of the Beacon?s Capitol building. It will offer three bedrooms, three full and two half baths, a library, a den, a breakfast room and a private interior elevator, with a total of 3,195 square feet of interior space. In addition, the penthouse has three terraces covering 2,100 square feet, facing north, southeast and west, with views of the full Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. ?This is some apartment,? said George Filopoulos, Metrovest?s president. ?We?ve tried to take advantage of all the unique architectural features these buildings offer, and the quirks in this one make for a magnificent home.? More than 100 different designs have been developed for units at the Capitol and the Rialto, the other Beacon building now under construction. The Rialto penthouse unit is being marketed, as are the two condos below the penthouse at the Capitol. Just to the north, in Hoboken, where prices have generally tracked higher than in Jersey City, a record is certain to be set whenever contracts are signed for two penthouse condos atop the W Hotel, now being built beside the Hudson River. The asking price for those units ? which come with full W Hotel service ? is $4.4 million, according to the developer, Michael Barry of the Hoboken-based Applied Development Company. He said that there had been a number of ?serious lookers? and that he expected both to sell well before completion of the hotel building in the summer of 2008. Prices for the W condos are roughly $1,000 per square foot ? around $300 per square foot more than the typical new-construction high-rise unit gets in Hoboken ? according to the Marketing Directors, which is handling W?s sales as well. But, Ms. Urgo noted, the W will provide exceptional service and ambience for Hoboken, with a sleek design by the Manhattan architecture firm of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, as well as concierge service, a restaurant and shopping area, the W Bliss spa, an upstairs bar and a stunning lobby with a street-level bar. There will be nine floors of condos with two, three or four bedrooms atop the hotel ? a total of 38 units ? with asking prices starting at $1.5 million. Mr. Barry said 32 were already under contract. The four-bedroom penthouses each provide 4,250 square feet of space, with unobstructed wraparound views of New York City from their 25th floor perch. Each has floor-to-ceiling windows, a den and a fitness room, the developer said. Three three-bedroom units on the floor below have been sold for $2.6 million, which may be a record for high-rise units in Hoboken, according to the Marketing Directors. Another candidate to challenge Hoboken?s record might be Maxwell Place, where the first of two riverfront buildings recently opened to its first occupants, but where closing prices have not yet been reported. A second building is being marketed, although construction has not started. Several large two-bedroom units on upper floors of the second building have asking prices in the $2 million range. The W and Maxwell Place have been attracting buyers from Manhattan and New Jersey in roughly equal numbers, according to Applied and the Pinnacle Companies, the builder of Maxwell Place. Another huge development in Jersey City, the Liberty Harbor project, which covers 28 city blocks, will have 667 units coming on the market this year and next, with an eventual 7,000 to 10,000 units planned at a site adjacent to the Paulus Hook neighborhood. Right now, the project has some four- and five-bedroom town homes on the market, at prices of $1.5 million to $1.66 million. At Port Liberte in Jersey City, several lavish town homes at the water?s edge are up for resale at prices in excess of $2 million, including one for $2.99 million. And in Hoboken, two grand three-story brownstones are listed at $2.75 million and $3 million. ?The high-rise market is different, though,? Mr. Filopoulos noted. ?We?re really excited about setting a record with the Beacon that signifies a real change in the high-rise picture in Jersey City.? As with the W, he said, the amenities are crucial to the value of the condos. The Rialto and Capitol buildings are joined by a two-story lobby with a 24-hour doorman and concierge. Residents will also be provided valet parking, shuttle service to PATH trains and ferry stations, and access to a 25,000-square-foot ?lifestyle and fitness? center with a full-time staff. Club Aqua, as the center is called, is to feature an indoor pool, gym, lounge with hot tubs, his and hers saunas and steam rooms, a ?social sauna,? treatment rooms, a yoga studio, a juice bar, a screening room and a children?s playroom. Beacon residents will also have access to a restored Art Deco theater that will be available for events, a catering kitchen and a rooftop sundeck for grilling, dining and lounging, Mr. Filopoulos said. ?Additional spaces are being brought back to mint condition to be used as poker rooms, a reading gallery and a billiards hall,? he added. A ?town center? now under construction will have a rooftop bar-restaurant, shops, a market, a prekindergarten and day-care facility, a movie theater and an art gallery.
Posted on: 2007/2/10 14:03
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Re: The Beacon
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6 more abatements for Beacon
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 By KEN THORBOURNE JERSEY JOURNAL STAFF WRITER "The Beacon" - the massive rehab project to transform the old Jersey City Medical Center into a swanky condo complex - received six 30-year tax abatements from the City Council last week, even though questions were raised about the number of local residents and minorities who have been hired to work on the project. Not only did the Beacon get six more abatements - bringing the total to nine - but they're also better than the city's standard deal. Most developers are required to pay the city 16 percent of gross annual revenues, but these abatements require 12 percent. The first three abatements were an even better deal, at 10 percent. But the City Council meeting, held Wednesday night, wasn't a walk through the park for the developer, Manhattan-based Metrovest Equities. Led by Ward F representative Viola Richardson, the council raised questions about the company's compliance with the city's "project employment and contracting agreement." The pact requires Metrovest to make a "good faith effort" to hire a workforce that's 51 percent from Jersey City. Within that group, 51 percent are supposed be minorities and 6.9 percent women, officials said. According to city records, Metrovest had 298 construction workers on the job in October, of which 52, or 18 percent, were Jersey City residents; 49 were minorities, and none of them were women. Given the 298 total, the numbers of local residents working on the job should have been much higher, said Moses Ballon, project manager for the city. The October goals called for 150 local residents, 77 of them minorities, and 11 of them women, he noted. Angered by the figures, Richardson - who despite the statistics ultimately joined her colleagues in unanimously approving the abatements - scolded Metrovest's attorney, Eugene T. Paolino. "Last year I held a job fair and you took 300 resumes," Richardson said. "This is unacceptable." The following day, George Filopoulos, president of Metrovest Equities, disputed Ballon's numbers. Plus, Filopoulos said, the numbers change week to week, month to month. For example in April, he said, 73 out of 146 workers on the job were minorities from Jersey City. The correct numbers for October were a total of 346 workers, of which 128, or 37 percent, were Jersey City minorities, he said. The biggest obstacle to making good on the employment goals is the fact his job is union, Filopoulos said. His general contractor, Turner Construction, automatically rejects anyone without a union card, he said. To compensate, Filopoulos said, he's set up an affiliate company, whose entire 11-person workforce are minorities who live in Jersey City. He's also contracted with the Jersey City Housing Authority to do recruitment, he said. "So it is not a function of not trying," said Paolino. "George has acted in a more pro-active manner than anyone else."
Posted on: 2006/12/19 9:36
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Re: The Beacon
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Not too shy to talk
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I bought at the Beacon and I'm not worried about the people who live in Montgomery Gardens, I grew up in a public housing project in Connecticut called Washington Village. We were poor, but like most folks around us, our parents were law abiding and hard working - when they could find work. The people in Montgomery Gardens are the same.
There was a public housing study done in the mid to late 90's in Jersey City that found that 50% of the police calls were produced by less than 17% of the units, so even when there is a problem there, it's just a few problematic people, not the majority. It's also true that a lot of the problems in public housing are caused by the outside elements that public housing often attracts, and the lack of anything constructive for people under 18 to do there. The city should address that. What we don't need is a greater police presence. If the Beacon has a police mini station it won't reduce crime significantly, it'll just mean the paperwork gets done faster. The thing I don't like about living near Montgomery Gardens is that the place is unattractive, hasn't aged well, and is an outmoded form of public housing that is difficult to police and maintain. When you add to that the projected cuts of 60 staff to the Jersey City Public Housing Authority expected in 2007, its not a good solution to the need for low income housing in Jersey City either. Project Hope IV, which is a federal program to replace outmoded high rises with lower density buildings and townhouses that blend better with a community and have a relationship with the street, is a much better solution to housing for the poor. Jersey City has two Project Hope IV sites and hopes to expand them in the next 5 years. Montgomery Gardens in not in the current 5 year plan for Jersey City Public Housing, but the plan is amended from time to time. With Democratic Control of Congress about to exert itself, there may be more money to expand Project Hope IV sites in Jersey City and across the country. Wanting something better than Montgomery Gardens does not have to be an expression of racism or NIMBY, it could be a reflection of how we, as a society, care for the least powerful. I'm constantly amazed at how cynical some of the posters are on this site. The people who are buying at the Beacon, at least the ones I've talked to, are decent people buying a home, not speculators, who are looking to get as much for their dollars as they can. They bought at the Beacon knowing what was around the complex, no one at the sales office told them anything was going to be demolished, and they bought anyway, why not wish them well? Who is more a part of the problems in a city, those who put money into an area and hope it improves, or those who say I would never buy there because its overpriced, and the area is bad, and the developers are dishonest, and so on? What would the area you live in look like today if others had felt that way about the rest of Jersey City over the last 20 years?
Posted on: 2006/12/13 20:31
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Quite a regular
 
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Heyyyy...I'm one of those mugs, thugs and pugs!!  
Posted on: 2005/11/9 1:05
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Newbie
 
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I actually think they're damn cool buildings, almost like they materialized out of some dark comic book. Any minute now I expect Batman to come crawling down the side. That being said, I sure as hell wouldn't pay what they are asking to live in that area. My hope is that the Beacon serves as sort of a fortress to keep all the mugs, thugs and pugs to the south of Montgomery as the folk north of the towers can live in peace and splendor.
Posted on: 2005/11/9 0:58
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Quite a regular
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Well...remember what downtown looked like before Newport came along? It wasn't exactly the land of wine and roses either. The area around the Beacon will change for the better and prices will go up in the Beacon once the changes start happening. I for one, welcome the Beacon and it's residents.
Posted on: 2005/11/8 23:13
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The place gives me the creeps. I think they should change the name to "The Bellevue", because you'd have to be insane to want to be committed there. And you would, literally, be committed to your premises because there's nothing around. I don't care how close you argue downtown is to the place, it's NOT, it's quite a hike through some rough blocks at that.
Posted on: 2005/11/8 22:16
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I bought a unit in the Beacon! Yes the area is a little rough, but so was the waterfront 10 years ago. The building and the amenities are going to be incredible. The price per square foot is less than half of what I would pay on the waterfront in Paulus Hook, and a 1/3 of what I would pay in Manhattan. Kick in the 30 year tax abatement and I can finally afford a decent place to live. There are many beautiful details in and outside those buildings, anyone should just take a trip into the sales office and see the marble and craftsman ship in the lobby... they don't make buildings like the Beacon anymore. If you think that 1200 units in the beacon can come online and do nothing for the area where it is located, than maybe you should not consider the Beacon. However I disagree. Get it now before it is too late.
Posted on: 2005/11/7 12:16
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Home away from home
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The New York Times has an article on the Beacon:
Old Hospital Yields Quirky Apartments By ANTOINETTE MARTIN Published: October 30, 2005 THE first apartments resulting from the transformation of the historic Art Deco buildings that served for seven decades as this city's medical center are about to go on the market. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/realestate/30njzo.html ---------------- Since so many people died there, do I need the Ghostbusters to excorcise the place if I buy one? The buildings do look scary to me. 
Posted on: 2005/11/1 3:45
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Just can't stay away
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A shuttle to Exchange Place serves 3 user groups - people who work at Exchange Place, people who work in lower Manhattan and people who work near a light rail station. I suspect that people who work at Exchange Place might find the Beacon an interesting proposition. Working and living in NJ might beat working here and living in NY from a tax perspective. I'd be curious to see how NYC's lower real estate taxes offset NJ's lower income taxes. Anyone have any data? Has our abatement largesse made NJ a really good deal for people moving here from NYC?
Posted on: 2005/10/25 10:50
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Yes,we have no bananas.
(Silver & Cohn, 1923) 
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Home away from home
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2004/9/14 17:44 Last Login : 2016/3/14 17:57 From McGinley Square
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What I am saying is that the distance between the Beacon and Exchange Place is less than the distance between JSQ and Exchange Place.
Posted on: 2005/10/25 4:56
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Home away from home
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If you're saying what I think you're saying (the Beacon is closer to Exchange Place than it is to JSQ) than you're wrong.
Plug the directions into a system like maps.yahoo.com. The Beacon is the Old Jersey City Medical Center, which had a main address of 50 Baldwin. JSQ is basically 1 Path Plaza. That comes out to 1 mile, and it's exaggerated, since they are driving directions, while you can walk the wrong way down a one-way street. I'd guess it's closer to 8/10ths of a mile. On the other hand, 50 Baldwin to 1 Exchange Place comes out to 1.8 miles, slightly exaggerated because a car has to go around 1 block at the end. Regardless, it's still twice as far to walk to Exchange Place. I figure the shuttle buses from the Beacon are chosing the route to Exchange Place for 3 reasons: - shorter PATH ride - nicer surroundings at that station - easy, straight drive Quote:
Posted on: 2005/10/24 17:40
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Re: The Beacon
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Quite a regular
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Yes...is there a specific one that you want to contact or will anyone do??? PM me and I'll get back to you (after 4pm as I'm on the road most of today).
Posted on: 2005/10/24 10:20
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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Hey, neighbor. Any idea how I can contact these entities?
Posted on: 2005/10/24 3:43
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Re: The Beacon
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Quite a regular
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St. Peter's is working in a collaborative effort called Bergen Communities United (BCU for short). They're working with several neighbourhood groups (WB/LPNC, APNA, ESBA, etc.) MCDC, McGinley Square Partnership, Fairmont Housing and others to come up with a viable community plan for this section of the city.
Posted on: 2005/10/23 13:51
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Home away from home
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if you're walking to Exchange Place, the Beacon is CLOSER than JSQ.
Posted on: 2005/10/23 13:32
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Re: The Beacon
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I hear St. Peter's Univ is looking to help with fixing up the areas around McGinley. Especially the Armory, McGinley Square (adding a small island park), and Bergen Ave.
Posted on: 2005/10/23 4:28
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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I went to a showing and the apartments are amazing. I'm wondering if I should buy there, but then the walk to PATH is rather long compared to a 2-minute schelp that I now have.
Posted on: 2005/10/19 16:03
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Re: The Beacon
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Home away from home
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Those of us who have moved by necessity to McGinley Square, which is more convenient to downtown and lower Manhattan than most of the Heights, will be happy to engage in commerce with Beacon residents. I'll be happy to buy in their stores and sell them my goods and services.
Posted on: 2005/10/10 14:47
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Re: The Beacon
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Not too shy to talk
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Henry said that the restaurant and misc. stores will be open to the public. Plus I would have thought anyone purchasing a store would have in their contract of sale that The Beacon must remain open to the general public.
I can't imagine a restaurant, bank, grocey store been profitable with only 120 units as customers, (growing to 1200 in 5-years). However, I might be wrong.
Posted on: 2005/10/9 12:36
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Re: The Beacon
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I was on the Beacon website, they will have their own restaurant, grocery store, screening room and other amenities. If these are actually built they will be a gated isolated community. They probably will get in their cars and go to Shoprite, Target, Home Depot and Whole Foods in Edgewater.
Posted on: 2005/10/9 1:48
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Quite a regular
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I agree that the Beacon has the potential for becoming another Port Liberte however, there are changes happening in the surrounding neighbourhoods that will (hopefully) attract the new residents to Monticello Avenue. We're already working on attracting the types of businesses that will cater to the residents of the Beacon in our Main Street efforts. The Beacon certainly is an enticement for those upscale shops to look again at Monticello Avenue (and hopefully McGinley Square) as the Beacon becomes populated with more affluent people. Regarding the rumour on the buyout of the projects...I don't know if I believe it but Metrovest has put a decent amount of money into this and I'm sure that Filopoulous is smart enough to know that the Montomery Gardens Projects will be a hindrance to selling the condos so I won't rule out the rumour just yet.
Posted on: 2005/10/8 17:27
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Re: The Beacon
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Quite a regular
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I think you've succumbed to wishful thinking. Change is coming to that area but it will only affect the Med Center campus. The Beacon will be, probably for decades, an upper-middle class enclave surrounded by projects. They will be as much a part of the JC community as those who live in Port Liberte. They will drive and not walk. They will take shuttles to and from the PATH. And they most definitely will not mingle with the surrounding neighborhood. They will have their own retail amenities. I wonder how long it will be before it becomes a gated community? The idea of "buying out" people who live in rent-subsidized government housing sounds like a rumor that would be started at the Metrovest marketing department. Don't believe it for a second. Don't get me wrong. I think its a good project and it saves buildings that are worthy of being saved. I just don't believe that The Beacon will be a catalyst to bring change to that neighborhood.
Posted on: 2005/10/8 17:11
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Re: The Beacon
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Quite a regular
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Change is coming to this area...I know that it's difficult for some of you to believe that anywhere west of the turnpike would be an alternative to the waterfront but it's true. I heard a rumour that Metrovest was trying to buy the people out of the projects and relocate them somewhere else...don't know if it's true but it's what I heard. I think (and someone correct me if I'm wrong on this) that the Beacon will be providing shuttle service from there to Exchange Place. Don't know if it will be all hours or if it's just for rush hour. I actually can believe that 70 people would have put down money to live here...it's got incredible views of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, the Watchung Mountains, etc. For those that want a view that isn't blocked by neighbouring towers (a la Newport), this would be ideal as it sits on top of the Palisades.
Posted on: 2005/10/8 15:20
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